About Ryan Hinnant
I’m a technical leader with over 10 years of experience building and scaling real-time interactive systems, technical audio pipelines, Unreal Engine workflows, and cross-functional production frameworks for large-scale entertainment technology.
My work sits at the intersection of audio technology, systems architecture, runtime performance, tooling, and team leadership. I specialize in turning complex creative and technical goals into scalable systems that teams can build with, iterate on, and ship reliably.
While my foundation is technical audio, the work extends across broader real-time technology: implementation frameworks, content pipelines, low-latency systems, tooling, simulation-driven workflows, player feedback systems, and production-scale execution.
I’m especially interested in technical leadership roles where real-time systems, human experience, performance, and scalable implementation all meet.
Professional Experience
2023 – Present
Epic Games
Technical Audio Director
2018 – 2023
Epic Games
Sr. Technical Sound Designer
2018 – 2023
Epic Games
Capture Technician
2016 – 2017
Boss Key Productions
Asst. Technical Sound Designer
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Lead technical audio strategy, implementation, and production support across Fortnite initiatives and connected ecosystem experiences.
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Drive cross-disciplinary collaboration with audio, design, VFX, UI, engineering, production, and external partners to deliver scalable, high-quality player-facing audio systems.
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Build and improve workflows, tools, and pipelines using Unreal Engine, MetaSounds, and Niagara to increase implementation speed, reduce manual overhead, and improve team efficiency.
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Develop scalable systems supporting cosmetics, vehicles, movement systems, music, ambience, NPCs, VO, and gameplay-driven audio features.
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Establish standards, review practices, and sustainable processes for technical audio delivery, helping teams move faster while maintaining quality.
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Mentor technical audio designers and contractors through coaching, growth support, onboarding, and day-to-day technical guidance.
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Contribute to hiring, organizational development, and cross-team planning to strengthen technical audio capability across multiple initiatives.
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Designed and implemented interactive audio systems using Unreal Engine tools, Blueprint scripting, and production-ready technical workflows.
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Partnered with sound designers, gameplay designers, production, and engineering teams to deliver immersive, responsive audio experiences across large-scale game development cycles.
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Built user-friendly implementation systems that improved workflow efficiency and supported a wide range of gameplay, content, and live production needs.
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Helped evolve technical audio practices through systems thinking, troubleshooting, workflow design, and scalable implementation patterns.
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Supported real-time content delivery through technical problem solving, bug resolution, and close collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams.
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Developed virtual camera tools and supporting workflows for Unreal Engine-based capture and cinematic production.
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Built UI components and engine tools for special projects, trailer workflows, cinemagraphs, and real-time capture pipelines.
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Supported render and cinematic production through technical tool development, troubleshooting, and collaboration with capture, creative, and production teams.
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Prepared, edited, and mixed audio assets for implementation and final delivery.
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Implemented audio using Wwise and Unreal Engine 4 workflows.
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Reported, troubleshot, and resolved audio bugs in support of AAA production needs.
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Collaborated across audio, design, and production teams to ensure accurate and timely audio integration.
2014 – 2016
Trailblazer Studios
Audio Engineer / Video Editor
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Designed sound effects and Foley for video, film, and broadcast projects.
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Synced, edited, and mixed audio for post-production and final delivery workflows.
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Edited and prepared video content for network airing and online finishing.
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Supported end-to-end production through both audio and video post-production workflows.
Education
Barton College — B.S., Mass Communications
Wake Technical Community College — Certificate, Programming for Game Development